Gang Members Killed Youth, Relatives Say

Giovanni Avelar’s fight to stay out of gang life may be what cost him his life, some friends and relatives said.

“He would always say no to them,” his brother Bienvenido, 18, said Thursday.

“He changed his style of dressing so he wouldn’t look like a gang member. He used to dress baggy, but no more.”

Avelar, 17, was shot to death Wednesday while walking home from Monroe High School half a mile from his home.

On Thursday, neighbors said that Avelar had been approached by two gang members, who demanded to know where he was from. Avelar replied “Nowhere,” they said, and was jumped by the pair.

Witnesses said Avelar was defending himself in a fistfight when one of his attackers pulled a .22-caliber gun and shot him several times in the chest.

Family members found him lying next to the chain link fence surrounding Our Lady of Peace Church.

Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Devonshire Division said they had no motives or suspects in the case.

Anyone with information was asked to call Det. Mike Oppelt at (818) 756-8291.

To help support his family, Avelar had worked part-time on weekends for a Los Angeles Times delivery agent, stuffing advertising inserts into newspapers. About a week ago, he got another part-time job at fast food restaurant.

Counselor Kathryn Hack at Monroe High said Avelar “was well-respected and well-liked. He really worked hard to overcome any area of difficulty.”

Students were collecting money to help the family bury Avelar in El Salvador.